Beers & Boating..

Hey All,
There has been alot of words flying around in various posts about boating & drinking,it does seem the consensus is...minimal drinking (1-2) while boating,although alot of posters have been repremanded for partying while crusin'. I am one that belives if the intent is to spend the day with a case while underway,then stay home and drink.I live in a very congested area with the primary boating grounds being the ICW,at best its 50 yards wide,now on this 50 yard wide 20 mile streach of ICW there are 16 marinas...9 jetski rental's...6 public boat ramps and 5 drystack marinas...on any given day in the summer there are hundreds of boats out there...the big problem is the new boaters with no instruction given post purchase...then the JS rentals,who obey no laws or common sense for that matter.Then to this mess..add drunk boaters.Spoke to a marine Police officer yesterday,he said 4 out of 6 boats he stopped this 4th weekend had an inebriated operator,he arrested 16 people for being DRUNK..and about to fall out of the boat..but were still driving.This season..so far there have been 2 fatal boating accidents..23 crash accidents..and 4 lost at sea due to drinking.So,i apoligize beforehand if my anti-drinking while boating offends anyone...PS-One of the fatalitys was a friend of mine..run over by a boat while helping another get ungrounded.

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In Canada it it illegal to have open liquor in a boat unless you are: A/ anchored for the night B/ the boat has a head
Operating a boat or snowmobile (probably the same with 4 wheelers and dirt bikes too) while impared will get your drivers license revoked for 1 year and your insurance will increase 400%.
Operating any motorized vehicle while impared is strongly frowned upon north of the border. If you are involved in an accident there is also mandatory jail time to deal with. Be safe leave the booze at home.


As of 2009 all Canadian boaters are required to have a Pleasure Craft Operators Card which is obtained be writing a test on the rules on the water. This is so new boaters know what the different bouys are for, how to safely overtake another vessel etc. Currently youths and PWC operators are required to have the card with everyone required next year. Youths are also restricted in the amount of horese power they are allowed to operate.

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IMHO this belongs in dockside chat

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in my opinion the law is the law, drinking and boating is fine, as long as it is not the captain. the water and sun, other factors while boating, makes your body absorb the alcohol faster than sitting at the bar. you can be legally drunk, drinking only 1/2 as much alcohol.

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tashasdaddy said:

" the water and sun, other factors while boating, makes your body absorb the alcohol faster than sitting at the bar. you can be legally drunk, drinking only 1/2 as much alcohol.

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AAAAHHHH, See, thats the thing..try telling "joe boater" that,most folks dont realize that in the comfort of there home a six pack barley primes the pump...but in the sun..wham! Saw a crew of guys up at Smith Mountain Lake this 4th drinking rum/coke on there deck boat,about 1 hour later, there all smashed,couple had that green tinge about them..yea,that looked like fun

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A really sore spot with JB. I have seen too many drunks who insisted they weren't drunk gravely endanger themselves and others. . .on boats, in vehicles or even just on the street.

I never allowed any alcohol on one of my boats and I won't get on a boat that has booze aboard.

Too often stupid is a capital offense. Far too often being along with, or even in the same county as, stupid is a capital offense.

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I'm no saint but I never drink out on the water. Don't need it. Just being out there is enough of a buzz! Sorry for your loss marine.

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I used to take with me 2 beers.(not the "2" beers you tell the law you had) with me fishing. One beer for me and one for my fishing partner. I've since stopped that. Water,soft drinks,etc but NO alcohol on my boat.

Nothing bad ever happened, but I want to make dang sure I'm in control of myself and my boat and keep things safe for all. Guess that's a result of growing older.

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For me, it's no alcohol while driving, boating, or hunting. Plenty of time to hoist a couple afterwards, while reliving the experience.

Several people were banned from hunting parties I've been in due to drinking. I feel the same about boating. Too much chance of danger on the water.

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I don't drink and never have. Never seen the fun in drinking and then throwing your guts up from getting sick.
There is something wrong with that picture.
I have no sympathy for anyone that gets caught DUI, on the road or water.
I use to work for a major wrecker outfit in Lexington and after seeing some of the wrecks caused by drunk drivers, you really can't see the point of it.

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I have no problem with having alcohol in my boat as long as the law is followed. I love watching that sunset while anchored in a cove and drinking a glass of wine or champagne. BTW, in NC the captain of the vessel can drink all he want as long as the vessel is anchored. Once you get behind the helm you better have .08 or less in your blood stream or you will be in as much trouble as if you were driving a land vehicle.
I do respect the choice of others of no drinking while in the boat.

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Nandy said:

I have no problem with having alcohol in my boat as long as the law is followed. I love watching that sunset while anchored in a cove and drinking a glass of wine or champagne. BTW, in NC the captain of the vessel can drink all he want as long as the vessel is anchored. Once you get behind the helm you better have .08 or less in your blood stream or you will be in as much trouble as if you were driving a land vehicle.
I do respect the choice of others of no drinking while in the boat.

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Nandy, I'm not knocking you at all, but what happens if the anchor becomes loose? Someone falls overboard, etc? Even anchored I believe the Captain must maintain control of his/herself and the passengers health and safety. Again, please don't take my reply as a knock on you personally.

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I think it is a bunch of puritanical crap that people are not allowed to have beer on a boat. If they are impaired and bothering other people then law enforcement has a cause, otherwise citizens should not be bothered. Having a beer or two does not make you wild and crazy, and for that matter you do not need alcohol to act wild and dangerous. Zero tolerance is a disease that should be eradicated and supplanted by common sense. A fisherman or outdoorsman should be able to pack a little brew if they want to to their favorite fishing hole or whatever without these draconian laws. And .08 is absurd. BTW I personally am not a drinker, but I do support freedom and liberty

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I had the opportunity (yes I call it an opportunity) to go through a drunk class. Years ago when I was in the Air Force, I was at a party. Got stopped on the way home and blew a .09. Was cited (not jailed) and had to go to court even though the limit at the time .1. The judge gave me the choice of probation or the course. Long story short...

It didn't take long for me to see and understand the effects of alchohol and operating a vehicle. The course was three days and the first two was about drinking and the last was the actual drink and drive through various courses. after one beer and a 15 minute wait, there was no difference for me or the dozen others. After two, I was still only blowing .03 but was having minor issues. And, all the way up to .12, I went down hill real quickly and at .08, I can see how you could kill someone compared to one who hadn't had a drop. Add to this, I already had practice on the courses and was expecting the challenges.

Now, I do have a beer or two now and then on the lake but it is generally when tied up and I'm not going anywhere for a couple hours. On busy holidays, I don;t as there is enough alcohol in the air to keep me going.

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I think here, as well as many places, moderatioin is the key. A person has to have self control. I do drink, but so far I haven't drank on my boat because I am new to boating and still in the learning curve. Beer was on board for the passengers, i drank water. In the future I will have a beer or two, depending on the amount of time out and what I have to eat.

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sunaj said:

I think it is a bunch of puritanical crap that people are not allowed to have beer on a boat. If they are impaired and bothering other people then law enforcement has a cause, otherwise citizens should not be bothered. Having a beer or two does not make you wild and crazy, and for that matter you do not need alcohol to act wild and dangerous. Zero tolerance is a disease that should be eradicated and supplanted by common sense. A fisherman or outdoorsman should be able to pack a little brew if they want to to their favorite fishing hole or whatever without these draconian laws. And .08 is absurd. BTW I personally am not a drinker, but I do support freedom and liberty

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My friend,you are preaching to the choir, BUT! In my neck of the woods Common sense is a very elusive thing,seems most of the tourists leave there brains on the side of Rt95 when headed to the beach, Then there's Freedom/Liberty..see way i figure it, is those folks who get Drunk while boating endanger my life,the life of my family & friends and just like any other fun thing in this Country...the idiots ruin it for the rest of us.So,unfortunately its all or nothing for drinking / boating tolerance laws,i don't think its Puritanical in intent..its harsh laws and zero tolerance based on the actions of the few..

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Then there's Freedom/Liberty..see way i figure it, is those folks who get Drunk while boating endanger my life,the life of my family & friends and just like any other fun thing in this Country...the idiots ruin it for the rest of us.So,unfortunately its all or nothing for drinking / boating tolerance laws,i don't think its Puritanical in intent..its harsh laws and zero tolerance based on the actions of the few..

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But here is where the slippery slope begins. I'm not sure if it was Jefferson or Franklin that said" those who would give up freedom for safety, deserve neither". I may not have got the quote exactly right, but it's close. This is kind of like the no smoking nazi's that are getting smoking banned from bars and what not. I'm not a smoker, because the idea of inhaling hot smoke that tasted terrible never seemed like a healthy or good idea in the first place, but alot of people do smoke. Now there are laws telling buisness owners they cant have a smoking section because some people think they have a right to go out in public and not smell smoke. And maybe in a public building they might but these are private establishment and... wait I got of track for a second, where was I , oh yeah, laws. So now it's a law against all alcohol and zero tolerance. What's next, should we go out and tell people it's illeagal to go out without sunglasses because the sun will get in your eyes and you could run into someone. OK thats a stretch but what about haveing a l.e.o. be there to inspect everyboat for safety issues before it's allowed in the water. We cant alway expect the government to protect us. I know it sucks that your family, as well as mine, is in danger from people that indulge in to much to drink while on the water, but I dont think taking away drinking is the answer.

There is another saying that I heard,and please forgive me if I get it wrong, but it goes something like this.

First they came for smokers rights, I didn't speak out because I wasn't a smoker.
Then the came for drinkers rights, I didn't speak out because I was not a Drinker.
Then they came for drag racers rights, I didn't speak out because I'm not a racer.
Then they came after the environmentaly unfriendly, I didn't speak out because I'm green.
Then they came after my rights but noone was left to speak out with me.

After a quick google search, this is based of a poem by Pastor Martin Niem?ller about the nazi rise in germany. I'm not sure who actually change it to fit today in america.

Original
Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Kommunist.

Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat.


Als sie die Gewerkschafter holten,
habe ich nicht protestiert;
ich war ja kein Gewerkschafter.


Als sie die Juden holten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Jude.


Als sie mich holten,
gab es keinen mehr, der protestieren konnte.

Translation

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.


When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.


When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.


When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

Sorry about the long post in rant like formation, getting frustrated with some suff here at work. Didn't mean to take it out on you guys, plus sometimes I like to play devil's advocate.

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I drink. Love the Jim Beam. But not on the water.
I allow the gang to drink what they want as long as they don't get carried away. For some unknown reason, they usually wait for me to join them on our way in for the day.

When we enter the (Thames) river after being out on the (L.I.) sound, BAMM the heat wave hits you like a wall, temps rise 15 degrees, and an ice cold brewski sure goes down good.

Once the baot is put away, we b-line it our local club and let loose.

This thread is making me thirsty.

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Tyme2fish said:

Nandy, I'm not knocking you at all, but what happens if the anchor becomes loose? Someone falls overboard, etc? Even anchored I believe the Captain must maintain control of his/herself and the passengers health and safety. Again, please don't take my reply as a knock on you personally.

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Don't worry Tyme2fish, Im not offended at all. I will say that I am taking a calculated risk. What you just wrote is the reason I only drink a glass of wine or just a beer. Some of my friends tend to look at me as their designated driver as I dont really drink much if I drink at all.

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Tread lightly folks.